Mills Display can supply all the point of sale accessories you require for your retail shelving, display cabinets, signage for your retail products. We can even produce customised products to help enhance your brand. But merchandising takes more then simple hardware. Read our top tips for effective merchandising displays.

Make the most of your store with these effective merchandising displays

1. The golden rule is to be innovative…

   Customers are bombarded constantly by new products sold through superlatives (the best this, the most that…). It’s up to you as retailers to make them stop and think. This is crucial for effective merchandising displays.

2. Talk to your suppliers

   What works for you is going to benefit them too? Ask your suppliers what has worked for other retailers or what they can do to help your merchandisers.

3. Talk to your customers

   Find out how they are using the products and incorporate that into your merchandising. Alternatively, find out any issues your customers have and try to find solutions from your existing stock. Then market those solutions direct to the customer.

4. Test and measure

   Trying new ideas might not work at first. However, if you have a way of gauging how well a merchandising idea is working then you can drop it quickly, adapt it, reinforce it or grow it. Accurate measurement and analysis allows you to be flexible. For effective merchandising displays, you definitely have to obey this rule.

5. Have long-term strategies

   Don’t focus on what’s working or not working right now. Use point of sale data alongside information canvassed from suppliers, employees and customers. This is how you can create easy-to-access databases on each of your products. You need to know how many items are sold, at what price and when to have a grip on what’s working. Do that and you can have seasonal merchandising strategies rather than knee-jerk reactions.

6. Appeal to the senses

   Nearly all the latest trends in in-store marketing and merchandising revolve around the five senses: touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing. This is because of the reaction to impersonal shopping practices of the past. Another reason is the growth of interactive and social media, which helps the effective merchandising displays.

   

7. Mix your merchandising strategies according to your products

   Your key areas are:

• Promoting frequently purchased items to increase customers
• Increased margins on high-quality products to push profits
• Push impulse purchases to increase value of transactions
• Generate better cash flow by pushing greater turnover of top sellers
• Back up your store’s “narrative” and what you stand for by strategizing around specifics like price, customer service and variety.
• Create authority and loyalty with aggressive pricing, comparisons to other stores, loyalty programmes etc.
• Generate urgency among customers by pushing seasonal, impulse and media-savvy products.

For more information about how Mills Display can provide you with the right retail display products to support your sales staff, email us or talk to one of our salespeople on Live Chat. Also, take a look at our 8 innovative retail merchandise display ideas for you.

Enquire Now with Mills Display

If you want Mills Display to help your business get a unique look by sourcing the best retail display products from around the world, message or LiveChat us via the website or call us on 09 634 5962.

Follow us on Facebook and Google My Business for our latest products and NZ Retail updates. Also, take a look at our 8 innovative retail merchandise display ideas for you.

Among all the merchandising and sales techniques; all the online, social media and community interaction tips; and all the in-store promotional displays and signage, little is more important to a business than its store-front window. This is why we prepared 12 Tips for Window Display Ideas.

Quite apart from its ability to draw in casual customers and make bold statements about what’s on offer, the way you face the outside world says huge amounts about what type of business you are. Research describes shop-front window displays as “silent salesmen”. Those can communicate your store’s characteristics and draw people into the sales area even if they hadn’t intended to. Some research even shows that people who tend to have a negative view of window displays are still drawn into shops by their effect.

Powerful stuff, you have to admit. So, how do you make the most of your window display? Here’s our 12-step guide to creating an ideal showcase for your business and to get potential customers through your door.

Here are our 12 Window Display Ideas

1. Don’t be limited by space

Of course, having a whole block of pavement-fronted window displays is going to catch passers-by. However, there are plenty of bold statements you can make regardless of the size of your window. Whether you want to hang signs, mount displays or create customised fixtures and fittings, there are always innovative ways in which even the most challenging space can be made to work.

2. Innovate

The way shoppers view your store will improve the more innovative your window display. Researchers have found that a shop’s overall image benefits from having a storefront display and the more innovative the display, the more likely passers-by will think it’s worth going in.

3. Think interactive

The way shoppers respond to your store and their first impressions are guided by how interactive your window display is. This doesn’t have to be physical interaction. Just a mix of signage which talks directly to them or displays which surprise them or make them react in some way.

4. Differentiate between image and objects

Some businesses will let their products do the talking while others will want to push brand and identity.

5. Storytelling sells

It’s all very well theming according to season or putting your new products on pedestals. Nevertheless, your display will be more gripping (and more interactive and innovative) if you can tell a story through your display. For example, Easter is typified by eggs and bunnies. Still, your display could be themed more around an Easter egg hunt with “hidden” treats and outdoorsy props.

6. Planning and consistency

Draw out your design for your window display and make sure everyone involved is on the same page. For example, it would be good to carry any themes started at the front of the store, throughout the shopping experience. Moreover, it goes without saying that you’ll need to be fully stocked up on any items you’re pushing via a window display.

7. Get the basics right

The golden rules of window dressing are making sure key elements are at the same eye-line as passers-by (and that might mean using cabinetry and display cases to get the right amount of lift); keeping the display clean (no one wants to look at clutter and the same item replicated dozens of times is often more appealing and understandable than dozens of different items next to each other); and lighting the display properly (highlighting messages and key products with spotlights is a great way to grab people’s attention).

8. Be bold and don’t hold back on the props

There’s nothing wrong with having your window display shout out with bright colours and strong shapes. And there’s always ways to find eye-catching props regardless of budget. Just make sure they fit your store’s image and help “tell the story” you’re going for in your window.

9. If you’re showcasing products, let them do the talking

When it comes to clothes, full-length mannequins will let would-be customers see how they will fit and appear on them. Equally, if you have a number of products which might go together (for example, camping equipment and outdoors clothing) set them up together so customers can see you offer a full shopping experience. You can use large, expensive items to help promote smaller, less expensive items.

10. Try to catch the eye

Two good ways to add interest to a display is to add movement (either through video or animated displays and props) or to use window graphics to highlight information relevant to the display.

11. Keep your window display moving

In order to be eye-catching, it’s easiest to be surprising so don’t let your displays get stale. You can update window displays according to seasons or seasonal marketing campaigns. Also, you can tie them in with new products or store innovations.

12. Keep a record of your displays

Take photos of each of you window displays and measure how well they performed in terms of attracting customers and promoting specific sales. You can use this data to pinpoint successful merchandising campaigns when you’re planning future displays and hone your talents to maximise your sales.

For more inspiration about how Mills Display can help you turn you window display into a successful merchandising campaign, download a catalogue, email us or talk to one of our salespeople on Live Chat.

Follow us on Facebook and Google My Business for our latest products and NZ Retail updates. Also, take a look at our 8 innovative retail merchandise display ideas for you.

Customers are now so attuned to seeing characterful and innovative food display solutions. On the countless TV shows devoted to both food and travel, that it’s become vital to any food retailer to come up with different ways to attract their attention. Of course, the basics of health, cleanliness and easily understood signage and labelling still apply. However, you can really push the boat out when it comes to finding adventurous. Also, by coming up with surprising ways with food display solutions to produce in your deli counter.

8 impressive Food Display Solutions

1. Be bold and showcase new on-trend produce:

TV shows like Masterchef and US baking shows have a huge following in New Zealand. This means you have to keep an eye out for what’s hot and on-trend around the world. Equally, food and travel shows featuring celebrity foodies. Examples are Rick Stein and Peter Kuruvita. They have introduced customers to cuisines from the likes of Korea, the Pacific Islands and Sri Lanka.

Innovative food display solutions can reflect novel dishes and ingredients from recent shows. Furthermore, they help customers feel part of the total food-as-entertainment experience. For example, a recently finished Masterchef show had episodes featuring contestants having to name many different types of herbs. Also, they have to use peculiar NZ ingredients in a dish. Why not use this as the basis of a NZ-themed deli display?

2. Use skilled staff to become a food authority:

The growth of foodie culture has led to a rise in customers who see themselves as self-taught chefs and “experimenters”. These customers soak up as much information as they can and really respond to advice from authority figures. Your deli counter is the ideal place for them to find advice so don’t hide food preparation away behind the scenes. Have your staff on hand to show off their knife skills and creativity; give them the authority to answer questions and offer advice; have them skilled to be able to hand-make deli items to order if required. For example, pre-prepared salads are always popular deli items. However, why not have staff on hand to supply recipes to interested customers and then have the ingredients nearby for purchase separately? Engaging the customer at the counter is a great way to both instil loyalty and provide the chance to upsell items.

3. Push total experiences:

Food customers – especially those at deli and produce counters – enjoy thinking not only about ticking items off their shopping list but also about working out how they’re going to use their purchases. When you’re grouping items or writing signage consider telling a story about how that produce might be used. Good examples in New Zealand – especially at this time of year – are grouping items which might be good for a picnic suitable for an Easter trip to the beach, a big family get-together, or planning a long-weekend visit to the bach.

4. A “market” theme can bridge a number of different cultures:

Almost all food and travel television programmes these days include a visit to a typical market. There you can see how people buy and sell produce in different parts of the world. The idea of showing this is that it helps construct a narrative in the viewer’s mind leading up to the recipe. The actually cooking and eating part of the show – and the human brain is actually hard-wired to find storylines (especially completed storylines) is particularly attractive. Organising food display solutions to show off foods which go together geographically is a good way to start this storytelling process. This means you can start to inspire customers’ creativity right from the display cabinet.

5. Make use of sampling stations:

The foodie customer is especially attracted to the whole “hands-on” experience. Predominantly with new or interesting produce and ingredients. So, it’s important to give them a taste of what’s on offer. Their inspiration may have come from a recipe book or a TV show. However, it can also be boosted by how you organise your retail display and then clinched by testing flavours. And samples don’t have to work alone. Try testing out customers’ tastebuds with different combinations, or food-and-drink matches, or innovative preparations of familiar ingredients. These sampling stations are also ideal places to bring in guest-chefs, producers or suppliers. If customers become used to visiting your store to discover new tastes, skills and methods, they’re more likely to see you as an authority in the food industry; not just the place to buy ingredients.

6. Guide choices with matches and recipes:

Use signage and display to let customers know which wines to serve with different ingredients. Also, try to supply recipe cards and booklets to promote new or promoted items. Even a sign with a recipe or “match of the day” creates intrigue in the customer’s mind. This gives your deli counter a sense of authority.

7. Use tickets and display signage to tell stories about sourcing:

The more knowledgeable customers become, the more they want to know about the source of what they’re putting in their shopping basket. Particularly when it comes to food. Not only is there a food miles, ethical sourcing, eco-friendly aspect to this information, but it also pre-arms them with the information to tell those they’re cooking for or feeding where their food originated. And, again, foodies really like their story-telling. Cheeses have traditionally been sold with information about place of origin. Still, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to do the same with all sorts of fresh produce. And if you can show food display solutions with a story which goes from farm gate to deli counter, you’ve already started a story in a foodie’s mind.

8. Consider added attractions:

With so many different types of food store vying for attention – and the customers’ dollars – you can gain an edge over the competition by offering an alternative shopping experience. In-store dining, floral displays, live music, events which show off favoured or new suppliers and producers are all ways in which you can theme your food display or deli and produce counters to specific times of the year or to highlight specific ingredients. More and more customers see food shopping as an outing. You can play to this trend by offering them a destination as well as a store.

9. Personalisation and customisation are the new freshness and quality:

Throughout retail, customers are demanding a more personalised experience. This is something that hi-tech and online retail can respond to easily. Nevertheless, that instore food presentation and retail is fast catching on to. Freshness and quality, of course, are primary sales points (and a big advantage over online shopping for food) but a store which offers personalised butchery, preparation, sourcing, recipe ideas, planning for large groups or specific events, or themed educational or display events can gain a winning edge when it comes to a hands-on bespoke service.

For more inspiration about how Mills Display can help transform your deli counter or produce display, download a catalogue, email us or talk to one of our salespeople on Live Chat.

Retail is a fiercely competitive sector. To remain successful, you need to have great products and outstanding service. But also provide your customers with a good shopping experience. Shopping Baskets improve Customer Experience massively, read our guide below to find out why.

Shopping baskets are a crucial element of this experience, making buying straightforward and comfortable. This guide illustrates exactly why that is.

Mills Display specialise in display solutions and have a thorough understanding of retail requirements. We offer a large range of baskets, even with the possibility of branding.

10 Ways Shopping Baskets Improve Customer Experience

What’s the point of spending a fortune on merchandising and great stock if your customers can’t get it to your point of sale easily?

Shopping baskets and the stands which allow for their efficient distribution are an absolute necessity for any size store. Stores where you’re looking to make multiple sales and you don’t want your customers juggling their purchases while looking at other display cabinets. It also helps when they’re trying to ferret around for their Eftpos card.

So here’s our 10-point guide to why introducing them into your small store, or adding them to existing trolleys in a larger store can help change your customers’ retail experience for the better.

Mills Display’s 10 Point Guide:

1. Efficiency:

Shopping for things like groceries, produce or small goods needs to be a swift, efficient process. Therefore shopping baskets keep the aisles clear of queues of trolleys. Also, they give your customers the option of just a couple of items or a few items for that special recipe. The swifter the customer’s experience the more likely they will return. Furthermore the better you can monitor and control your point of sale queues.

2. Ease of use:

Mills Display’s range of baskets can be either 20-litre capacity (320mm x 420mm x 230mm depth) or 26-litre (320mm x 470mm x 260mm. This means they have room to stack hard and fragile articles alongside each other without any risk of damaging produce before it’s paid for.

3. Versatility:

As well as the usual carrier baskets, Mills Display also stocks baskets fitted with telescopic handles and casters so they can be pulled around. Again, this saves space around your aisles compared to trolleys. Still, it allows customers who can’t or don’t want to carry their purchases around the store, to have them contained right up to the point of sale.

4. Store Guide:

Having a stand for your baskets at the front of the store next to the entrance keys your customers in to the shopping experience. And having a similar stand next to the checkout means they can move through the point of sale quickly. They don’t even have to look for somewhere to leave a trolley.

5. Comfort:

As well as the baskets with telescopic handles and wheels, our range of baskets can be carried comfortably. This happens without the risk of the handles pinching customer’s hands; regardless of the weight of goods inside.

6. Trust:

Our shopping baskets manufacturing place is New Zealand. Also, they have been independently tested in New Zealand to show that the 20-litre baskets can carry more than 100 kg. We also proved that the 26-litre baskets can withstand more than 120kg of weight. This is more than enough to accommodate a Christmas ham or multiple boxes of bolts, screws and nails! They are also constructed with a reinforced rim and unbreakable handles. This helps to minimise breakages and gives you and your customers’ piece of mind.

7. Economics:

When your customer steps into your store they don’t want to feel railroaded into thinking they have to spend a lot of money. But, equally, you want to be able to give them the impression that they can handle multiple purchases. By supplying them with a shopping basket, it allows people who wouldn’t think they need anything as lare as a trolley to browse your display shelving and retail display cabinets. This happens without juggling what they originally came in for.

8. Branding:

Although we provide baskets in three standard colours of black, red and yellow, all our baskets can be branded with stamped company logos and designs. We also manufacture in your store’s branded colour. Just give us the details around type fonts, artwork and colours and we can arrange to manufacture a unique shopping basket. This allows you to stamp your brand on your customers’ experience.

9. Display:

As well as being able to brand the baskets, the basket stands can also be customised to display your branding. Another way is to show retail signage detailing special promotions or information for customers.

10. Intent:

In online shopping, retailers spend a large amout of time trying to reduce the number of people who abandon the buying process before they reach checkout. Well, the same applies for the shopping experience in a bricks-and-mortar store too. Supplying a shopping basket reinforces the intent to make a purchase and lessens the likelihood of a customer browsing, not finding what they’re looking for; and simply leaving.

Mills Display has a great range of baskets to suit your needs. We can help with any customisation or bespoke baskets you think might complement your store.

For more information on how to order shopping baskets for your store or to talk through other potential solutions which would help your customer’s shopping experience, contact one of Mills Display’s experts via email, Livechat with us on the website or phone our Auckland showroom on 09 634 5962.

Follow us on Facebook and Google My Business for our latest products and NZ Retail updates. Also, take a look at our 8 innovative retail merchandise display ideas for you.